10-year-old with acne

[DancingLady]

Not sure if this is the right board... My 10yo DD has really bad skin. Blackheads, lots of angry spots all over her face. She uses a Neutrogena grapefruit facewash morning and evening but that's it. Is it ridiculous to take her to the GP or a dermatologist for this? Definitely puberty related as she's nearly 11 and changing a lot, physically.

I would take her to the GP. Spots/acne can have such a negative emotional effect and cause scaring if not treated correctly.

Definitely take her to the gp. In the mean time try the neutrogena in the orange packaging. The face wash, daily scrub and moisturiser have really helped my spot prone skin over the last few years and they're a good starting point, they nice and gentle.

Yy to the doctor, it’s what their for. It’s very treatable.

Definitely the Doctor but I would recommend using very mild skincare. A lot of the products for spots are far too harsh and drying especially for pre teen skin. A lot of acne prone skin is quite sensitive and harsh treatments can the acne worse, especially if it is already inflamed. I recommend the Cerave foaming wash and La Roche Posay Toleraine fluid to moisturise. Get plenty of soft face cloths and make sure she uses a new one everyday and doesn't scrub at her skin.

I had bad acne as a teen and would definitely get my DD to a Dermatologist if she suffers in the same way. It has such a big effect on your self esteem and is treatable.

Take her to the doctors, my DD is 14 and it's taken 4 years of GP appointments to get her to the dermatologist and now taking getting specialist help that she needs.

We spent a fortune on lotions but found the body shop tea tree range helped along with the biore charcoal face wash.

Getting them to the doctors early is the best advice I can give

I would also recommend the range Cerave which you can get in boots, superdrug etc. It's fragrance free and gentle. Ask the GP about it too.

But definitely go to the GP before purchasing any products which they may not recommended.

Yes GP who will prescribe antibiotics most likely Lymecycline which should do the trick and acnecide 5% to apply topically. Meanwhile use Cerave SA facewash daily with a clean flannel.

This was my DD. We ended up at a dermatologist in a children’s hospital and after creams and antibiotics only roaccutane cleared it.

After that course the spots came back but not as fiercely

flying a 10 year old wouldn't be prescribed lymecycline. I've just come off it and the leaflet in it said it shouldn't be given to under 12s.

@Ellewoods20 my 10 year old was. It depends on the severity of the acne and the height/weight of the child. My 11 year old was on roccutane

Within reason drs can do what they like.

@merrygoround88 my mistake. I just assumed it was a total ban for under 12s (it said it damages teeth at that age) so I didn't want the op asking for something they didn't have any chance of getting. Thank you for correcting me:)

There is extreme caution for under 12 with lots of meds so it's all dependent on each case etc

Lymecycline worked fantastically well at clearing my DD 13 acne which was getting worse by the week.
If there's no improvement after 3 months then they'll prescribe something else.
The final and best is Roaccutane but not given lightly due to side effects but normal only one course will rid acne forever unless you're particularly unlucky

@FlyingByTheSeatof how long was your daughter on Lymecycline? I've read that the acne can sometimes return if the medication is stopped.

@Ellewoods20 You are right in that tooth damage is an issue so we had to be sure my DD had her 2nd teeth

Wow, I’m surprised they prescribe roaccutane for 11 year olds! It’s serious stuff.

Have you tried freederm gel. I found that to be quite good at first.